Rotary internal combustion engine



Nv. 21, 1933. T, H ,mC-MER ET AL 1,936,211

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE NOV- 2l, 1933- l. T, H. RICHTER Er Al. 1,936,211

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o? l Walter z'cher.

Patented Nov. 21, 1933 ROTARY INTERNAL COIVHBUSTION ENGINE Thomas H. Richter `and Walter` E. Richter, Los

Angeles, Calif.

Application January 19, v 1.931. Serial No. 509,656 4 Claims.v (Cl. 12/3-13) This invention relates tofan vimprovementin the construction and operation of rotary internalV combustion engines, and the principal object is to develop great power wth a relatively small consumption of uelf -To that end we provide ari-engine having a power wheel with combustion chambers on its rim at a'great radialydistance from the center of the power wheel shaft so that substantially all the thrust power from combus-v tion is Atransmitted through the long radialfleverage to the power shaft. In other Words the parts of the engine` are constructed and arranged so that the power taken off the driveshaft is about four times as great as the thrust power of com-A bustion at the rim of the power wheel. 1 A feature of invention is shown in constructing the'engin'epower Wheel so itv also functions as a y' wheel. This feature is accomplished by providing the power wheel with arelatively heavy rim, which when set in motion acts as a fly wheel to aidgreatly in imparting rotary power to the engine shaft. It is understood that powerdeveloped by the engine can be utilized for driving machines, vehicles and the like.

Other objects; advantages and lfeaturesY of in# vention may appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description and the-appended claims.

The accompanying drawingsillustrate the invention, in which:

Figure 1 is an end view of a rotary internal combustion engine constructed in accordance witlifthis invention and diagrammatically indicating a gear connection between'the revolving abutment and the power wheel. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2 2, Fig. 1, 'showingrone of the power units on the rim of the'power wheel nearing the end of its intake or charging period and the other units idle, parts indicated -diagrammatically Fig. 3 is a plan `view of the enginel drawn to the Ysame scale as Fig. 1 withsome parts indicated diagrammatically; Fig. 4 is a fragmental side View of the engine'when comprising' two power wheels shown diagrammatically and parts omitted. Fig. 5 is an enlarged'fragmental section onthe staggered line 5-5, Fig. 2,V showing in detail the means for charging thevfcombustion chamber. Fig. 6-is`v an end view of one member of the combustion chamber housing detachedfromthe engine frame'.

Fig, '7 is a central vertical section on the line 7-7,

Fig. 6.- Fig. 8 is an'enlargedfragmental view analogous to the upper portion of Fig.` 2, showing the power wheel advanced beyond the intake period, the inlet valve closed and the` charge ignited.` Fig. 91s an end view of an engine analogous to the engine shown in Fig. 1 with an additional power wheel and abutment and the combustion chambers of the latter wheel arranged 'Y at a forty-nve degree angle relative to the chamf 60.

bers of the first wheel.

The engine can be mounted in any suitable way. f It includes the frame 10 that is formed of the upward extending frame members 11, 12 and 13 that are spaced apart and secured on the base 65 14 and their top ends secured by the angle iron 15.

Y A drive shaft 16 and ldriven shaft 17 are mounted on these frame members by the bearing straps 18 and 19 as diagrammatically indicated inFigs. 1, 5 and 9. The shaft 16 supports .70j the combined power and ily-wheel 20 that has its hub 21 secured to the shaft by a key 22, seel Fig. 5, and the hub is secured from endwise movement by the opposing nuts 23 and 24 and'spacing rings 25. Y i i5 The rim of the fly-wheel is relatively thick and heavyso that when in use it can function to prevent an uneven motion between the.V consecutive explosions.

Integral with the rim. of the wheel k20 are hollow abutment cup-shaped housings 26-that are spaced an equal distance apartand preferably there are'four of them. Theseabutment housings intermittently and consecutively in combination with Athe stationary channeled housing 27 and rotary abutment 28 on shaft 17 form a succession of single temporary combustion chambers 29 in which charges of explosive mixture are ignited to develop the thrust or expahsivepower t for rotating the power wheel and drive shaft.

The housings 26 are cup-shaped .to prolong the periods of expansion in the channeled housing so that a greater power can be developed with a relatively small consumption of fuel. In other Words the housing 27 and abutment 28 `are arranged so'that when any of the movable housing members 26 is in the position of the upper one shown in Fig. 2, the combustion chamber 29 will be entirely closed and complete except charging passage130 controlled by the inlet valve 30. When' the chamber 29'is Vclosed by the members orv parts 26, 27 and,28,.it is charged with a combustible mixture under sufficient pressure to explode when ignited, as vhereafter eX- plained.

This mixture is delivered under 'pressure to the chamber 29 through a supplyv pipe V31, see Fig. 5. This pipe has itsdischarge `end packed in one end of the shaft 16 lso the latter can rotate without turning the pipe, as best 'shown in Fig. 5. The means for supplying the pipe 31 with fuel under pressure is not shown as it is old in the art and forms no part of this invention.

From the pipe 3l the mixture is delivered to a chamber 32 in the hub 21 through the passage 33 and ports 34. From the chamber 32 the mixture passes through the pipes 85 to the fuel chambers 36 that are arranged in the rim of the iiy wheel 20 under and adjacent the chamber 29 in the cup-shaped housings 26. The chambers 36 are connected-to the chambers 29 in the housings 26 by the passages 130 which are normally closed by the valves 30.

The valves 30 are opened by a cam 37 secured to the frame 10. These valves are arranged to open the moment the chamber 29 is fully closed, and when the valves are open the chamber 29 will be charged with the mixture as stated. The valves 30 are closed after the chamber 29` is charged by means of the springs 38 that act the moment the roller end 39 of the valve stem4() disengages the cam 37.

Each of the housings 26 is provided. with spark plugs 41 that act to ignite the charge in the chamber 29 when their respective contact 42 engages the spring contact 43 on the frame 10, see Fig. 5.l This contact through the wire 44 receives suiicient electric current from a supply not shown to ignite the charges in the chamber 29 when engaged by any of the contacts 42.

The respective contacts 42 are connected by wires 45 to their respective spark plugs 4l and the wires 45 can be properly insulated by extending them through the insulating tubes 46 that are extended from'the rim of the wheel 20 down through its web to the insulated conta'cts42with the wires 45 imbedded in the tubes so as to properly connect the spark plugs and contacts. Such Wiring is old and well understood in the art and is, therefore, not shown or described in complete detail.

When the chamber 29 is charged and the mixture ignited the power developed by expansion of the burning mixture will practically all be applied toward rotating the wheel 20,` as the thrust of expansion is against the periphery of the unyielding abutment 28 and the rear wall 47Y 0f the yielding housing 26, thereby causing the wheel to rotate. The abutment 2,8 is rotated against the thrust of expansion, and as the wheel 20 is free to move except as to the slight friction on its bearings and the load on the sprocket 48 on shaft 16 substantially all of the power of expansion will be utilized to rotate the wheel 20 and shaft 16. v

As previously indicated the rim of the wheelV periods of combustion.

, The shaft 16, as indicated in Fig. 1, carries the sprocket wheel 48 from which power can be transrnittedv to other mechanism not shown, or if desired the shaft 16 can be provided with a pulley 100 as shown in Fig. 9, so it can drive machinery throughv a belt not shown. v

Also secured to the shaft 16 is a bevel gear49 that is in driving connection with lthe shaft 17 through jack shafts 50, 5l, bevel gears 52, 53, 54 and spur gears 55, 56 diagrammatically indicated in Figsl, 3 and 9. The jack shafts 50 and V28'is concentric with the curved face 127 of the housing 27 and they are engaged while a charge of mixture is trapped and being ignited and exploded in the chamber 29.

vIn Fig. 9 Vwe show two power wheels instead of one, it being understood that other power wheels can be added if desired. The power wheel 20 and its abutmentV wheel 28 are arranged so the expansion periods in the combustion chambers as consecutively formed are forty-five degrees in ad- Vance of the expansive periods in said chambers formed byvwheel 120 and itsv abutment 328. By this construction and arrangement of parts the power of the engine is practically doubled.

Inloperation a combustible mixture is supplied to the combustion chamber 29 and ignited as fully described hereinbefore'. When the charges are ignited expansion will rotate the power wheel 20 as stated, and the heavy rim acts as a fly wheel to impart a smooth continuous rotation Vto the engineshaft. n f ,v

We claim as our invention:

V1. An internalpcombustion engine including a frame, a stationary Vchanneled housing secured thereto, a shaft secured to said frame, a oom- 1:10 bined power and iiy wheel. secured to said shaft and arranged so its rim can pass through said housing, an abutment housing integral with the rimof said wheel that is cup-shaped to prolong the period of expansion while passing through said channeled housing, a rotary abutment for closing one end of said channeled housingwhen said abutment housing has entered therein, .a thick rim to said wheel having fuel chambers therein arranged adjacent to said abutment hous- E20 ings, means for supplying fuel to said chambers and transferring it to a temporary combustion chamber formed between said rotary abutment and said abutment housings, said heavy Vrim adapted to steady the rotation of said wheel between its periods of combustion. 2. An internal combustion engine including a frame, a stationary channeled housing secured thereto, a shaft, a combined power and fly-wheel secured to said shaft, abutment housings integral with the rim of said Wheel that are arranged to pass through said channeled housing when said wheel is rotated, a rotary abutment driven by said power wheel and having a peripheral portion adapted for a period duringV its revolutionv to engage and close one endof said stationary channeled housing as the other end thereof is closed by said abutment housings to form a temporaryY combustion chamber between said rotary. and abutment housings, and means for charging and igniting charges of fuel in said temporary combustion chambers as they are formed. Y Y.

3. An internal combustion engine including a frame, a stationary channeled housing secured thereto, arshaft, a combined power and fiy-wheel secured to said shaft, abutment housings integral with the rim of said l,wheel that are arranged to pass throughl said channeled housing when said wheel is rotated, a rotary abutment driven by said power wheel and. `having agperipheral portion Y are normally open to the outer air, an open ended adapted for a period during its revolution lto engage and close one end of said stationary chany thereon, a rotary y wheel secured to said shaft,A

spaced cup-shaped housings integral with the rim of said wheel that have chambers therein that channeled housing secured stationarily'on said frame through which said cup-shaped housings pass when said ily wheel is rotated, an abutment arranged on said frame above and rotated by said fly-wheel and located in the same plane and having a peripheral portion adapted for a period `during its revolutions to engage and close one end of said channeled housing as each cupshaped housing has entered but before it has left the channeled housing, forming thereby successive temporary combustion chambers, fuel chambers in the rim of said fly-Wheel arranged under said cup-shaped housings, means whereby fuel is delivered to said temporary combustion chambers through said hollow shaft and said fuel chambers, a spark plug in the advanced end of each cupshaped housing, other means including electrical contacts on and movable with said Wheel through which electrical current can be suppliedto said spark plugs in a timed order of forming and charging said temporary combustion chambers, and stationary electrical contacts on said frame that are intermittently Vand successively engaged by the electrical contacts on said wheel when the .latter is rotated, whereby electrical current can be supplied to said spark plugs for the purpose specified. 'l

" THOMAS H. RICHTER.

WALTER E. RICHTER. 

